Alcatraz Island
The infamous island prison in the middle of San Francisco Bay — ferry-only access, an unforgettable cellhouse audio tour narrated by former guards and inmates, and some of the best skyline views in the city. Book well ahead.
California
San Francisco
San Francisco packs an extraordinary amount into seven square miles of hills and fog — the Golden Gate Bridge, the island prison of Alcatraz, the last manually operated cable cars on earth, world-class museums, and some of the country's most distinctive neighborhoods and food.
The best visits ride the cable cars, get out on the bay, and balance the famous waterfront with the neighborhoods where the city actually lives. The weather is mild but tricky — pack layers year-round, and know that September and October are the warmest, clearest months.
Don't miss
Alcatraz Island
The infamous island prison in the middle of San Francisco Bay — ferry-only access, an unforgettable cellhouse audio tour narrated by former guards and inmates, and some of the best skyline views in the city. Book well ahead.
San Francisco Bay Cruise
A narrated sightseeing cruise around the bay — sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge, past Alcatraz, and along the waterfront skyline, for the views and the angles you simply can't get from land.
San Francisco Cable Car Ride
Ride the last manually operated cable cars on earth — a moving national landmark running since 1873, clanging up and down San Francisco's steepest hills with open-air sides and unbeatable views.
Golden Gate Bridge
The most photographed bridge in the world — the 1937 Art Deco span in International Orange, soaring across the strait where the bay meets the Pacific. Free to walk, bike, or simply admire from a string of classic viewpoints.
Things to do in San Francisco
Hand-picked: every experience here has strong traveler reviews and a verified booking link.
San Francisco Bay Cruise
A narrated sightseeing cruise around the bay — sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge, past Alcatraz, and along the waterfront skyline, for the views and the angles you simply can't get from land.
San Francisco Cable Car Ride
Ride the last manually operated cable cars on earth — a moving national landmark running since 1873, clanging up and down San Francisco's steepest hills with open-air sides and unbeatable views.
FreeGolden Gate Bridge
The most photographed bridge in the world — the 1937 Art Deco span in International Orange, soaring across the strait where the bay meets the Pacific. Free to walk, bike, or simply admire from a string of classic viewpoints.
1-2 hoursDetails →
FreeFisherman's Wharf & Pier 39
San Francisco's classic waterfront — the working fishing piers, the famous sea lions hauled out at Pier 39, fresh Dungeness crab and clam chowder in sourdough, street performers, and the departure point for Alcatraz and bay cruises.
1.5-3 hoursDetails →
California Academy of Sciences
An aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum all under one living roof in Golden Gate Park — a Renzo Piano-designed marvel and one of the best family science destinations in the country.
Exploratorium
The original hands-on science museum, on Pier 15 along the Embarcadero — hundreds of interactive exhibits about perception, light, sound, and the physical world, with sweeping bay views from the pier.
de Young Museum
San Francisco's fine arts museum in Golden Gate Park — strong American, African, and Oceanic art and major touring exhibitions, in a striking copper-clad building with a free observation tower.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
One of the largest modern and contemporary art museums in the country — seven floors of painting, sculpture, photography, and design, dramatically expanded in 2016, in the heart of SoMa downtown.
FreePainted Ladies & Alamo Square
The "Postcard Row" of pastel Victorian houses at Alamo Square, framed by the downtown skyline behind — one of the most photographed streetscapes in the city, and free to admire.
30-45 minutesDetails →
Coit Tower
The Art Deco tower crowning Telegraph Hill — Depression-era WPA murals around its base and a 210-foot elevator ride to a 360-degree observation deck with sweeping views of the bay, the bridges, and the city.
Chinatown Walking Tour
A guided walk through the oldest Chinatown in North America — the Dragon Gate, temples, markets, hidden alleys, and the fortune cookie factory, with the food and history that make it one of the city's most vivid neighborhoods.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$Fairmont San Francisco
Nob Hill
The grande dame atop Nob Hill — a 1907 landmark with an opulent lobby, sweeping city views, and the legendary tiki-themed Tonga Room. Grand, historic, and central to the cable car lines.
Check rates →
$$$$The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
Nob Hill
Refined five-star luxury behind a neoclassical landmark facade on Nob Hill — impeccable service, elegant rooms, and a polished, full-service experience steps from the cable car lines.
Check rates →
$$$$Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel
SoMa
A storied 1909 grand hotel downtown, famed for the glass-domed Garden Court — one of the most beautiful rooms in the city — with a classic indoor pool and a central location near Union Square and SoMa.
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$$$Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel
Union Square
A design-forward landmark hotel near Union Square — home to the famous Redwood Room, a 1930s art deco bar — with stylish rooms in the heart of the Theater District and shopping.
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$$$Hotel Zephyr
Fisherman's Wharf
A playful, nautically themed hotel right on the Fisherman's Wharf waterfront — fun, design-led rooms, a buzzy outdoor "yard" with games and fire pits, and the bay and Pier 39 at the door.
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$$$Hotel Zetta
SoMa
A sleek, tech-savvy boutique hotel in SoMa — modern design, a lively lobby playroom and bar, and a central location near SFMOMA, Union Square, and the Moscone convention area.
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$$Hotel Bohème
North Beach
A charming, intimate boutique hotel in the heart of North Beach — Beat-era atmosphere on storied Columbus Avenue, steps from Little Italy's cafés, City Lights bookstore, and the city's best espresso.
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$$$$Cavallo Point Lodge
Sausalito / Fort Baker
The lodge at the Golden Gate — a converted Army post at the bridge's Marin foot: officers-row porches facing the span across the parade ground, a healing-arts spa, Michelin-caliber dining, and the parklands as the grounds.
Check rates →
$$$Inn at the Presidio
The Presidio
A national park inn inside the city — the 1903 bachelor officers quarters turned 22-room retreat: rocking-chair porches, evening wine by the fire pit, eucalyptus trails out the door, and the Golden Gate a walk away.
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$$$Argonaut Hotel
Fishermans Wharf
The wharf's exposed-brick flagship — a 1907 cannery warehouse turned nautical boutique on Hyde Street Pier: timber beams and bay-view rooms, the cable car turnaround outside, and Alcatraz boats five minutes along the water.
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$$$$Hotel Drisco
Pacific Heights
Pacific Heights, the hotel — a 1903 Edwardian on the ridge among the mansions: champagne check-in, bay views between billionaire rooftops, breakfast and evening wine included, and the city's loveliest residential walks outside.
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$$$Beacon Grand
Union Square
The Sir Francis Drake reborn — the 1928 Union Square grande dame renovated into the Beacon Grand: gilded lobby bones, the Starlite room's 21st-floor skyline views back in business, and Powell Street cable cars at the door.
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$$$The Jay
Jackson Square / Embarcadero
Downtown's freshest renovation — the Embarcadero-edge tower reborn as The Jay: California-modern rooms with bay and Transamerica views, Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak downstairs, and Jackson Square's brick-row charm outside.
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$$$Hotel Kabuki
Japantown
Japantown's ryokan-spirited hideaway — zen garden courtyard, deep soaking tubs, and the Peace Pagoda neighborhood outside: mochi and ramen across the street, Fillmore jazz blocks away, and a calm no downtown hotel can price.
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$$$Hotel Zoe Fishermans Wharf
Fishermans Wharf / North Beach
The wharf-edge boutique with North Beach manners — coastal-chic rooms, fire pits in the courtyard, Pescatore Italian downstairs, and the smart corner: two blocks to the bay, three to Little Italy's dinner tier.
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$$$The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square
Union Square
A grand 1904 landmark on the west side of Union Square, with a historic main building, a modern tower and the glass elevators that have become part of the city skyline.
Check rates →Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero
Yerba Buena / SoMa
A polished luxury high-rise on Market Street, steps from SFMOMA and Yerba Buena Gardens, with big city views and the service the brand is known for.
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$$$Hotel Nikko San Francisco
Union Square
A calm, Japanese-inspired hotel two blocks from Union Square, with soft modern rooms and the hospitality its parent brand is known for.
Check rates →1 Hotel San Francisco
Embarcadero / Financial District
A waterfront sustainability-minded luxury hotel at 8 Mission Street, next to the Ferry Building, with a spa, bay views and free bike rentals.
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$$$Omni San Francisco Hotel
Financial District
A restored 1920s bank headquarters at 500 California Street, with marble, chandeliers, a steakhouse and the California Street cable car at the corner.
Check rates →Hotel Emblem San Francisco
Union Square
A Beat Generation-themed boutique hotel at 562 Sutter Street, with complimentary bikes, a City Lights book cart in the rooms and a literary bar downstairs.
Check rates →Hotel Zeppelin San Francisco
Union Square
A rock-and-roll boutique at 545 Post Street with a dark palette, psychedelic bathrooms, an arcade and billiards room, and a lobby fireplace.
Check rates →Hotel G San Francisco
Union Square
A 152-room hotel at 386 Geary Street with a retro-modern feel, a Union Square address and a long record of strong guest scores.
Check rates →San Francisco guides
A First-Timer's Guide to San Francisco
Everything you need for a first trip to San Francisco — when to come, where to stay, the essential sights, the weather and layers, and how to spend three perfect days.
Visiting Alcatraz: Tickets, Tips & What to Expect
How to visit Alcatraz Island — why to book far ahead, day vs. night tours, what the cellhouse experience is like, what to wear, and how to make the most of the trip.
Beyond Downtown: San Francisco's Neighborhoods
A guide to San Francisco's distinctive neighborhoods — the Mission, the Haight, Castro, North Beach, Chinatown, Hayes Valley, and the parks — and how to explore the city beyond the tourist core.
The Best Day Trips from San Francisco
The best day trips from San Francisco — Muir Woods and the redwoods, Napa and Sonoma wine country, Sausalito, Monterey and Carmel, and how to reach each.
San Francisco for Foodies: A Complete Guide
A guide to eating in San Francisco — sourdough and Dungeness crab, the Mission burrito and taquerías, Chinatown dim sum, the Ferry Building, fine dining, and the city's food culture.
San Francisco with Kids: A Family Guide
The best of family San Francisco — the cable cars, the sea lions, the science museums, the bay, Golden Gate Park, and how to plan a trip that works for all ages.
